Live entertainment, health and wellness activities, fitness demonstrations, dance, music, prizes, and giveaways are all on tap at the Wellness in Windham Health Festival on Saturday, Sept. 21, from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m.
Mark your calendar and bring your family and friends for the festivities, located on the front lawn of the Brattleboro Retreat - and free and open to the public.
Organizers promise fun for all ages at the second annual Wellness in Windham Health Festival, which includes a variety of live entertainment as well as demonstrations of Zumba, yoga, and chair exercises.
Enjoy cooking demonstrations provided by the Brattleboro Food Co-op, and buy a healthy lunch prepared by Sodexo Foods.
Jon Dee Graham has played around, as it were. With eight or nine solo albums behind him, he's made at least that many records in collaboration with a who's who of indie royalty. Born in 1959 in Texas near the Mexican border, Graham has spent his life immersed in...
A monthly social event for women who love women kicks off Saturday, Sept. 21, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Backside Café on High Street. Sponsored by LGBTQ nonprofit group Green Mountain Crossroads, these socials are set for the third Saturday of each month at the same time...
Do you know what the most dangerous disease is on Earth? A disease so dangerous, it is a plague engulfing the planet with death? Billionosis. The effects of billionosis are everywhere, but relatively small numbers of humans are affected by it. Billionosis is a disease of the psyche, where no amount of wealth is enough and the sufferer is fixated with increasing the numbers in the ledger. In most cases, these sufferers rig the accounting system for their own benefit,
With students flocking back to schools across Windham County, Youth Services seeks caring, competent adult volunteer mentors willing to put in at least two afternoons a month to help at-risk youth prepare for work, college, and full, rich lives beyond. Through its Ready-to-Achieve Mentoring Program, or RAMP, Youth Services supports dozens of youth, ages 13-17, at Brattleboro Union High School, Bellows Falls Union High School, and Leland & Gray Union High School. According to Michelle Bos-Lun, RAMP director for Youth...
College news • Alison Sullivan of West Dover received an M.S. in Education from Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., at the school's summer commencement ceremony held on Sept. 8. • Kori Huffman of Brattleboro was recently inducted into the 3.0 Club at American International College in Springfield, Mass. The 3.0 club honors student-athletes who have earned a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or better after at least one year of enrollment at AIC. Huffman, a member of the AIC...
I am looking for people to call on for support and resources as I complete my capstone project, which is a feasibility study to determine if a community resource center in Brattleboro should and could be created and if it would be sustainable. Such a center would provide a shared office space for small social-service organizations to reduce administrative expenses and to increase communication and collaboration among them. Additionally, this center would offer community members access to many services and...
The Windham Solid Waste Management District is gearing up to vote on an increase of town assessments in December. According to WSWMD Executive Director Robert Spencer, speaking at the Sept. 5 Selectboard meeting, Newfane should expect its assessment to increase “substantially” from last year's figure of $20,700. “It changes each year. We try to run the District as a business with the marketing of recycling materials that we collect, process, bale, and sell,” Spencer said. But, he suggested, times are...
When high school teams find themselves with a large number of freshmen and sophomores on the roster, the usual progression is a rocky first year, an improved second year, and a successful third year. That was about the trajectory that the Bellows Falls girls' soccer team followed: a horrible 1-12-1 in 2010, a surprise playoff run to the Division III semifinals in 2011, and another trip to the playoffs in 2012. Now the core of that team of the previous...
Speed limit reduced on Route 30 due to I-91 bridge work BRATTLEBORO - The Vermont Agency of Transportation is temporarily reducing the speed limit on Route 30 from 50 mph to 40 mph for a one-mile stretch of road that extends approximately one-half mile north and one-half mile south of the location where Interstate 91 crosses over Route 30. The speed limit reduction is associated with the Interstate 91 bridge replacement project, and will go into effect to ensure the...
Voters in Brookline, Jamaica, Newfane, Townshend, and Windham will still get to decide whether to establish a single, unified school district for all their students, but state officials sent the committee developing the proposal back to the drawing board on an article informing how the district is established. A special vote in those towns on a “Windham Central Education District” has been warned for an Australian ballot Tuesday, Oct. 8. If approved as written, the district would replace seven school...
The Vermont Downtown Action Team, and its urban planning consultants, came to Brattleboro last week to listen to area residents and offer observations and suggestions to make the downtown more prosperous. Consultant Tripp Muldrow and his team had plenty of praise for what's going right. That's entirely appropriate. A number of exciting changes are happening in Brattleboro right now. The Brooks House renovation is in full swing. There's new construction on Putney Road. There's the usual churn in the restaurant...
The Vermont Jazz Center kicks off its 2013-2014 season on Saturday, Sept. 21 at 8 p.m. with a performance by two of jazz's most highly esteemed musicians. Along with their myriad other projects, saxophonist Steve Wilson and drummer Lewis Nash have been performing together as a duo since 2001. At the VJC, they will be joined by bassist Nat Reeves. Duo performances, Wilson and Nash say, give them the chance to display their shared dedication to melody while exploring the...
It seems serendipitous that, as the Obama administration pushes for a “limited” U.S. war on Syria, one of the most vocal peace activists ever is scheduled to speak in our area. Cindy Sheehan lost her son Casey to the U.S. war on Iraq in 2004. One year later, Cindy came to international attention as she and her supporters camped out in protest on land adjacent to President Bush's Texas ranch. We are all weary of war that never seems to...
Social service and school officials in Windham County and nearby Cheshire County, N.H., have referral forms this week for the 2013 Brattleboro Reformer Christmas Stocking. Families that qualify for assistance from the Stocking for this winter who have not received the form from their child's school should contact the school or other social services such as the WIC program. The deadline for applications to be received by the Stocking Committee is Monday, Oct. 14. Eligible children 15 and under receive...
The members of The Jelly Bean Tree Artisans Cooperative voted unanimously to change the cooperative's name to The River Artisans Cooperative. The Jelly Bean Tree Cooperative, founded in 1975, is Vermont's oldest crafts cooperative. It recently moved to a new location at 26B Main St., after three decades in Saxtons River's Main Street Arts Building. Joan Lester, the co-op's president, noted in a press statement that The Jelly Bean Tree had grown over the decades and it was time for...
High school students have an opportunity to win the 2013 Marlboro College Beautiful Minds Challenge by responding to the prompt: “Take a road less traveled. Make something that shares your journey.” Marlboro College, a proud member of Colleges That Change Lives, and this year's top school in Princeton Review's “professors get high marks” category, will award cash prizes and scholarships for the best submissions. Teens (15-19) from across the United States are invited to take a journey - physical, intellectual,
The Abene African Dance and Drum Festival was held at the Brattleboro Stone Church from Aug. 23 to 25. Caro Diallo, from Senegal, taught six high-spirited dance classes; Alioune (Pape) N'Diaye, also Senegalese, taught two dance classes; and Namory Keita taught West African drumming on the weekend. The film Sahel Calling, about Malian musicians raising awareness about the unrest in Mali, was shown Aug. 24, thanks to Jeryl Julian Cisse, followed by a beautiful set of African-inspired music by Derrik...
All of us affiliated with Sandglass Theater deeply thank everyone who helped make the recent Puppets in Paradise benefit a huge success. First and foremost, thank you to Gordon and Mary Hayward, who - once again - generously donated their absolutely magical gardens to host the event. Their place sets the tone and timbre for Puppets in Paradise and makes it an unfailingly special time. Our gratitude goes to the many business sponsors of this biannual event and to the...
A Sept. 4 Commons article [“Can towns without infrastructure still attract growth?”] boldly tackled an often-overlooked topic: toilets and the wastewater they produce. Inadequate and aging septic systems throughout Windham County are stifling the region's economic development, the article explains, because lack of public toilets and limited wastewater disposal capacity prevent businesses from expanding. The stock solution to this problem is a sewer system, but for small towns the cost can be prohibitive. But let's step back and untangle the...
With Entergy's announcement that the Vermont Yankee nuclear power station will close permanently in 2014 comes a variety of questions about the effects that the shutdown will have on the community and its economic well-being. A diverse panel of experts will explore these issues at a community forum, “The Path Toward a Post-Nuclear Economy.” The event, featuring six guest panelists, will focus on offering the region a more precise understanding of when decommissioning will take place, how that very different...
The Connecticut River Watershed Council's (CRWC) fall concert series with Robin and Linda Williams and their Fine Group has been postponed. According to CRWC Executive Director Andrew Fisk, Robin Williams sustained broken ribs earlier this summer and needs surgery. “Robin and Linda and their Fine Group are eager to reschedule with us, so the show will go on in spring 2014,” Fisk said. The three concerts were scheduled for Sept. 20 to 22. To learn when the new dates are...
Next Stage Arts Project and Twilight Music present folk singer, songwriter, and comedian extraordinaire Cheryl Wheeler plus folk/rock sister duo The Nields in concert on Friday, Sept. 20, at 7:30 p.m., at Next Stage, 15 Kimball Hill. Wheeler (www.cherylwheeler.com) writes some of the prettiest, most alluring, and intelligent ballads on the modern folk scene, and is a militant trend-defier and savagely funny social critic. In their 20 years together in the music business, Northampton, Mass.-based Nerissa and Katryna Nields (www.nields.com)
Since March 2011, Syria has now been embroiled in a brutal civil war. Press reports suggest that fatalities - primarily among the insurgent forces and the many haplessly embroiled civilians - already number in the many tens of thousands, perhaps more than 100,000. Those reports have also described the commission of atrocities by both government and insurgent forces. Moreover, there have been several U.N.-confirmed reports of the use of lethal chemical weapons since March, allegedly by the government, but also...
Turning Point of Windham County recovery center, a safe, supportive gathering place for all lives affected by addiction, is seeking volunteers to help members continue to meet their goals in recovery. According to the organization in its call for volunteers, anyone can help who is in recovery, as well as those just eager to provide sober companionship and support. “Peers may have life experiences in common, and when they share how they successfully dealt with those events, both people experience...
A batch of showers and thunderstorms settled over the Brattleboro area on the afternoon of Sept. 12, and dumped about 3 inches of rain within the span of a few hours. The region had advance notice of the bad weather from the National Weather Service office in Albany, N.Y., but many were surprised by the intensity of the rain, and the damage it left behind. Main Street near the Post Office and Centre Congregational Church was briefly flooded, and a...
RE: “After tense months, library nears opening” [Town & Village, Sept. 11]: My personal experience with Rockingham Free Public Library Director Célina Houlné was very positive. I am a humble library patron. Every time I saw her in the library or at a book sale, she was very warm and very helpful, making me feel like a treasured, special library patron - something I really appreciated, having just moved back to my home town.
Brooks Memorial Library is throwing a party backed by some of the best-loved American songs ever written, and you're invited. On Saturday, Sept. 21, at 7 p.m., at American Legion Post 5 on 32 Linden St., internationally acclaimed jazz musician Chris Bakriges and his quartet will present “The Great American Songbook: A Night of Jazz and Dancing.” What has become known as The Great American Songbook is a canon of the most important and influential American popular songs of the...
RE: “Skatepark committee to vote Sept. 19 on downsizing proposal” [News, Sept. 11]: It's a pity that the Vermont Land Trust withdrew its financial support. The organization should recognize the sustained community effort required to put together a project like this one and remain flexible and understanding of the setbacks that projects like this often encounter.
This current stage of parenting seems less fragile. We've made a silent step over a menacing crevasse. It wasn't that we weren't paying attention. We were. It was blinding, fanatical attention. Every detail in our face, like cartoon violence. It was too absurd to ignore. There were years of perpetual pregnancy and sleep deprivation. There were stories that we felt comfortable telling only in the confines of our dark room. Our confessions would come pouring out in guilty, hushed complaints...
RE: “Vermont's next gun debate heats up early” [News, Sept. 4]: The issues surrounding firearms are school issues too! Around Vermont and the United States, educational districts are being forced to turn our buildings into militarized bunkers. In a response to conditions totally beyond our control, we are having to terrorize our children with school lockdown drills, and we are spending tens of thousands of dollars or more to harden our schools. These changes are happening for only one reason:
Here are a few of the productions screening at the Independent Television and Film Festival, as provided to The Commons. A full list of selections, a schedule, and trailers for most of the offerings can be found on the ITVFest website. 24 to Score (U.S., film, comedy). Frustrated television producers David and George are on the verge of selling their first reality series to a major network. Unfortunately, the network executives have a few conditions: recast a whiter, more attractive...
A new nonprofit working to promote understanding between the United States and the Middle East and North Africa region through cultural exchange is bringing two celebrated Egyptian musicians to Brattleboro. On Saturday, Sept. 28, at 7 p.m., Izdahar presents “Reverberations From Egypt,” a concert featuring violinist Osman el Mahdy and bass-baritone Omar El-Okdah, at the New England Youth Theatre. Afterward, the artists will discuss the effects of recent geopolitical turmoil on the arts scene in Egypt. “Egyptian musicians are eager...
The Connecticut River Valley has been in use for at least 11,000 years, as witnessed by the rock petroglyphs on its Vermont shoreline in Bellows Falls. It was verdant and good hunting grounds for early indigenous peoples. Indian corn fields flourished on both sides of the river in the rich floodplains along its length. The river, whose name springs from Algonquian languages and means “long tidal river,” was the principal north-south travel route before the advent of roads and rails.
When people hear horror stories of domestic violence, so often their first thought is, “Why doesn't the victim just leave?” This question tends to assume that: 1) She can, 2) She hasn't tried, 3) Doing so will make her safer, and 4) It might help end the bigger social problem. But what our area's recent spike in domestic violence murders highlights is that for most victims, leaving doesn't instantly spell freedom, and for some, the “choice” is pared down to...
A letter to Vermont Yankee Employees: My husband, John, has worked at VY for over 14 years, so it goes without saying that I've seen it all - the good, the bad, and the ugly. I want to thank each and every one of you for being a part of the good year after year. Thank you for the many hours and dollars you have contributed to those in need. Countless people's lives have been touched by your hard work...
Brattleboro's downtown is a diamond waiting to sparkle. The downtown, said a team of architects, planners, and business consultants, has a lot going for it, such as an engaged community and a beautiful environment. But it also faces challenges in the form of low wages and an aging workforce. Members of the Vermont Downtown Action Team (V-DAT) presented their initial findings on Brattleboro's downtown economy to community members in the Latchis Theatre on Sept. 11. More work remains, such as...
When the Selectboard votes to renew the lease for entities sharing space in Town Hall, one change in terms apparently is breaking in the Historical Society's favor. Though no vote was taken, as the lease is still in a draft form, the Selectboard agreed Sept. 9 with Town Administrator Katie Buckley's proposal to exempt the Historical Society from responsibility for painting the building's exterior. “I think that's a big burden. I think their fundraising would be better served in helping...
For Philip Gilpin Jr., getting the annual Independent Television and Film Festival to pull up stakes and come to Dover and Wilmington was only the first part of his challenge. “This is a one-time chance for the valley to retain this event permanently,” he says. It all has to come together. ITVFest, which launched in 2006, will bring an estimated 1,200 to 1,500 creators of the moving image (artists, writers, producers, and other film-industry types) and those who appreciate the...
The Selectboard on Sept. 9 unanimously approved a Planning Commission request for a resolution authorizing it to apply for and accept a grant through the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development. The Planning Commission is seeking funds for the Windham Regional Commission to help it draft technical language on economic development for use in the next revision of the Town Plan. FY2014 MPG applications are due Sept. 30.
The Vermont Downtown Action Team visited Wilmington last week to assess how to buoy the town after hard economic times and substantial flooding from Tropical Storm Irene two years ago. Irene flooded most of downtown Wilmington in August 2011 as the Deerfield River overflowed its banks and sent about six feet of water into the heart of the village. The town, businesses, and residents have worked non-stop since then to rebuild. The Federal Emergency Management Agency awarded Wilmington long-term recovery...
Selectboard member Anne Rider called on the board Sept. 9 to send a note to state officials alerting them to safety concerns about the intersection of Route 5 and Guilford Center Road. Selectboard Chair Richard Clark, board members Rider and Troy Revis Jr., and Town Administrator Katie Buckley all shared theirs and others' anecdotes of near misses and collisions at that corner. Rider said she had raised the matter at a meeting attended by officials “regionally, statewide, and with the...
Village residents will gather at the Bellows Falls Opera House on Thursday, Sept. 19, at 7 p.m., for a special meeting to vote for a third time on the fiscal 2014 village budget. Voters rejected a village budget of $1,945,357 by a 58-34 margin at the annual village meeting on May 20. After a revised plan that dropped a ninth officer for the Bellows Falls police department, a budget of $1,883,182 was approved by a 52-43 vote at a second...
The Connecticut River Transit (CRT) Board of Directors announces that it has negotiated a one-year management agreement with the Deerfield Valley Transit Association (DVTA) to become effective Sept. 16. The agreement calls for the DVTA to act as a management company to provide overall management services. The DVTA reports to the CRT Board of Directors, which retains full control of the company. CRT is using this period to review and take a fresh look at the company from top to...
On a blustery, sunny day, town officials, energy contractors, regional commissioners, and all around solar geeks gathered at Stratton Mountain Ski Resort to discuss installing photovoltaic systems. Members of the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) offered a free training in expanding and installing solar projects to about 60 participants on Sept. 6. According to Jayson Uppal, consultant at Meister Consultants Group, which specializes in renewable energy policy and public sector sustainability strategies, Vermont has great solar policies compared to most...